The intermittent rains that pounded Zamboanga City since Sunday to Thursday inundated a total of 2,651.24 hectares of rice and corn fields including vegetable farms as well as fishponds and seaweed farms spread out in 23 barangays, as of Friday, October 20.

Total value of damage to crops and fisheries amounts to P155.604 million with 2,499 farmers affected, according to City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat.

The damages incurred are beyond recovery, according to Palacat.

Of the total area damaged, 1,035.3 hectares are planted with crops with a total value of P114,019,739.40. Farmers affected reached 1,135.

For fisheries, the total area damaged is 1,616 hectares with total value of P41,585,000. Number of farmers affected is 2,499.

The 5-day inclement weather spawned by tropical convergence zone and low pressure area has killed 9 people and injured 3 others. A total of 4,385 families with 21,189 individuals were displaced while 88 houses were totally damaged and 197 partially damaged as a result of the flashfloods and storm surge incidents, according to records from the City Social Welfare and Development.

As this developed, Zamboanga City has been declared under a state of calamity by the City Council per recommendation from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chaired by Mayor Beng Climaco.